Rejecting Torah
- In Memoriam of Mr. David M. Warren
(Menachem Dovid ben Harav Yosef Z'L)
Parshat Bechukotai is an in depth
explanation of what will happen when the
Children of Israel do or do not perform
the Torah’s statutes. The Torah commands
us to perform all the mitzvoth, all 613
commandments, in letter and spirit.

As the Torah starts with the
consequences of when Israel does not
observe the Torah, it tells us the exact
reason why one chooses ideologically not
to observe the Torah. “And if My
statutes you find revolting and My
ordinances repulsive in order not to
observe My commandments.” (Leviticus
26:15) As the Sforno (Rabbi Ovadia ben
Yaakov, Bologna, Spain; 1475 – 1550)
explains, the Torah clearly states the
reason one would find the Torah
revolting and repulsive is in order to
not observe the Torah. Meaning, because
someone chooses to not observe the
Torah, he therefore finds its
commandments “revolting” and
“repulsive”, not the other way around.

But isn’t it possible for someone to
rationally conclude that certain
statutes are “revolting” and “repulsive”
and then choose to reject them? I.e. the
statutes regarding capital punishment,
homosexuality, eating meat, ritual
purity, distinctions between men and
women, etc. The Torah says no.

The Torah makes a sharp distinction
between someone who simply doesn’t
follow its laws (i.e. a person who grew
up irreligious or is overcome with
temptation) and someone who rejects the
Torah’s statutes. The only reason
someone would find the Torah’s laws
“revolting” and “repulsive” is to seek
justification for rejecting them. Why
does he need justification? Because
every Jew knows the Torah is his
heritage, is part of his very identity,
and cannot be ignored but must either be
accepted or rejected.

The Torah shows us a revolution in human
psychology. When someone rejects the
Torah’s commandments, it’s not enough
for him to simply ignore the Torah’s
demands; he must also invent reasons to
despise them. This is human nature.

Why can’t a person just choose not to
oblige? Why can’t one simply say this
isn’t for me? When it comes to the
Torah, we cannot. Some things are too
close to the heart to ignore. Shabbat Shalom